If you take a stroll past Brooks Hall on a warm summer day at Central Michigan University, you might hear the faint sound of buzzing created by some of the hardest workers the campus ecosystem has to offer.

No, it's not students pouring over summer assignments – it is the sound of the hundreds of honey bees that are kept and used for research by CMU's Biology Department.

Patti Travioli is a biology department staffer who started the beekeeping project, which brought the bees to CMU's campus in May. The tiny creatures are kept in a courtyard connecting Brooks Hall and the main CMU greenhouse, which is staffed by several students.

One of those students is Josh Simms, a junior and sociology major who was hesitant when he was told keeping bees would be a part of his job with the department.

"I figured I was going to get stung at least once or twice," Simms said. "Surprisingly, they are really tame. Bees get a bad reputation, and Patti has been great about teaching us how to deal with them effectively and safely."

Chelsea Ellis will be a senior in the Biology Department this fall and said working with other living things is her idea of a good time.

Tucked away in the back of the courtyard between Brooks Hall and Central Michigan University's Green House, CMU's Honey Bee hives thrives, surrounded by liliac shrubs, and other flowering plants, which the honey bees love to pollenate from. (Taryn Wattles | Staff Photographer)

Patti Travioli, the main beekeeper for Central Michigan University's Honey Bee hive, lights her smoker to help calm the bees before she lifts the cover of the hive. Smoke initiates the bees natural response to retreat into their home and feed on honey incase of a hive fire and needing to evacuate. Beekeepers use this technique to get into the hive for inspections and seasonal framing changes within the structure. (Taryn Wattles | Staff Photographer)

Patti Travioli, the main beekeeper for Central Michigan University's Honey Bee hive, pumps smoke around the top of the beehive, helping calm the bees before she lifts the cover of the hive. Smoke initiates the bees natural response to retreat into their home and feed on honey incase of a hive fire and needing to evacuate. Beekeepers use this technique to get into the hive for inspections and seasonal framing changes within the structure. (Taryn Wattles | Staff Photographer)

Central Michigan University houses a colony of honey bees inside the Brooks courtyard between the hall and CMU's Greenhouse, with Patti Travioli, manager of the gardens, as their main beekeeper. "They really like long hair," laughs Travioli, as she tucked hers into her beekeeper's hat. (Taryn Wattles | Staff Photographer)

Central Michigan University now houses a colony of honey bees, tucked away in the courtyard between Brooks Hall and CMU's Greenhouse. (Taryn Wattles | Staff Photographer)

After smoking the bees, beekeeper Patti Travioli separates the frames with a metal hive tool. Lifting each frame, Travioli is able to inspect the progress of the bees, as well as fix any maintenance issues the hive may have. (Taryn Wattles | Staff Photographer)

Each frame begins with a template from which the colony of honey bees build off of. As they build off the frame, some combs are filled with honey, while others are incubators for bee eggs and larvae to grow. (Taryn Wattles | Staff Photographer)

Inside the brood chamber, small bee larvae are growing. The worker bees help nourish them by feeding them first with royal jelly, then with diluted honey and nectar. The closed cells of the honeycombs are larvae that have reached the cocoon stage of their development, and will soon emerge as worker or drone bees. A few select female larvae will be given more royal jelly and be on their way to becoming a potential Queen bee. (Taryn Wattles | Staff Photographer)

"We have enough flowers and everything else here (in the greenhouse) that they really have no reason to leave," Ellis said. "Besides, they are not very aggressive at all. This has been my favorite part of working at the greenhouse. I find this kind of stuff really interesting."

Biology Department Chair Stephen Roberts said these honey bees are among the most complex and intriguing creatures the department researches.

"It really provides an unparalleled experience for our students," he said. "From a teaching standpoint, they are really wonderful creatures. Any bee that you might see flying around here on campus, there is a slight chance that it is from one of the colonies that we are keeping."

Still, Roberts assures there is no threat to any students who are allergic to the tiny honey-makers.

"They are pretty harmless," he said. "They are in a restricted access area. There is so much commercial bee keeping in the area. On my drive home on Broomfield (Road), I pass a beekeeper who is dealing with 30 or 40 times as many as we have in that courtyard. There is nothing to worry about."